Jenkins stars in winning double

A BRILLIANT SEABL debut weekend from American import BJ Jenkins has led the North West Tall Timbers Thunder to a rare winning road double.

Jenkins, a 26-year-old guard who has played in the NBA D-League, averaged 33.5 points for the weekend and is sure to be in contention for the player of the week award.

On Saturday night, the Thunder took down Albury-Wodonga 91-74, before dismantling the Knox Raiders 101-81 yesterday afternoon.

Not only did the Thunder have to overcome one of the longest road trips in the league in terms of road travel, it also had to play without key recruit Nathan Wilson, who was ruled out with a groin complaint.

``It's not so much a tough road trip but a long one,'' coach Phil Thomas said from Melbourne yesterday.

``We had to leave at 8.30am this morning [yesterday] and we got to Knox at 12.30pm. It's a long time to spend in the car.

``It's good to have this one behind us and have the results.''

On the eve of the season, Thomas claimed his team was a more cohesive unit than last year, and on the face of the weekend's effort, his opinion has merit.

``We really played well as a team and that's what I've been stressing,'' he said.

``They are a good group and they support and play for each other. When challenged, they responded as a group.''

On Saturday night in Albury, a blistering 31-18 third quarter from the Thunder proved the difference, while yesterday against Knox, a 27-13 opening stanza set up the win.

Jenkins hit 31 points against the Bandits and 36 against Knox, but he didn't have to shoulder all the load, with five players making double figures on Saturday and six yesterday.

Thomas said Jenkins did more than just shoot, with the American also having 11 score assists across the two games.

``He shares the ball and brings others into the game,'' he said.

Fellow recruits Tyrone Lee (32 points, 19 rebounds) and Brad Simpson (27 and 17) also made their presence felt across the two games.

Veteran guard Nick Haywood made two valuable contributions off the bench, including a handy 11 points (4/5 FG) during yesterday's game.

Teenager Kyle Clark also impressed in a starting role, tallying double figure points in both matches.

The Thunder host Nunawading at Ulverstone's Schweppes Arena on Saturday night, a team touted as a championship favourite.

Thomas said Wilson was a strong chance of recovering from injury to take his place in the line-up.